Metro News & Reviews

Transportation headlines, Thursday, March 4

Streetsblog LA has a report on the LADOT DASH service change hearings made neccessary because – surprise, surprise – LADOT is facing a major budgetary shortfall. The blog reports that feedback has largely echoed the results of a recent Metro customer survey: riders would rather face fare hikes than service cuts. A hearing in Downtown drew 80 to 100 people, most standing up in defense of their preferred bus routes.

In national news, freight industry groups and highway advocates are railing against the Obama administration’s proposal to spend $200 million in highway taxes on a Livable Communities program meant to create pedestrian and bicycle friendly communities in urban areas. Freight industry officials note the sad state of the nation’s highways and bridges and their importance in remaining economically competitive as a nation.

Here’s a story from the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the financial hardships Atlanta’s transit agency, MARTA, is facing and the drastic service cuts that may be coming as a result. As tax revenues funding the agency have declined, MARTA now faces a $120 million deficit and is looking to cut service by up to 30%. The bus system could go from 131 routes to 66 routes and wait times for trains could increase to 30 minutes. What I find interesting is the ripple effects these transit cuts will have on the entire city. Some workers will not be able to keep their jobs and others will end up purchasing cars, making traffic worse and harming the environment.

The rest of today’s headlines, compiled by the Metro Library, after the jump.